On September 10, 2013 over 75 golfers gathered together at White Manor Country Club at the 9th Annual Divine 9 Open Golf Outing to raise funds for Bringing Hope Home.
We are proud to announce that the 2013 Divine 9 Open raised over $80,000 to support BHH’s mission of paying critical household bills for local families with cancer! The funds raised will be able to pay bills for over 50 local families with cancer!
It was a great day filled with golf, giving, amazing trick-shots courtesy of multiple time cancer survivor and trick golfer extraordinaire Ben Witter, celebrity appearances including Ukee Washington, Matt O’Donnell, Preston Elliot and Casey Boy, food and fun. 6ABC came out to the event – you can check it out below.
News Clip from Divine 9 Open
This event was made possible thanks to our extremely generous sponsors, participants, the 2013 Divine 9 Open committee members, volunteers and staff. You can find all of the pictures from the day here on our Facebook Page. Following the outing was an open bar cocktail reception, auction, awards, and a heartfelt thank you from one of our past families helped, Andy Person.
2013 Low Gross Team Champions
Congratulations to Kevin McGeary, Mike McConnell, Pete Hughes and Mark Feussinger who had a score of 139!
2013 Low Gross Team Champions
Congratulations to Pat Gugerty, Terry Montgomery, Bob Neff and Jeff Rottwitt who had a score of 117!
History of the Divine 9 Open
The Divine 9 Open has been established to celebrate life, gold, and a man who loved them both. In the Fall of 1998, Morton Dittus, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. By Easter of the following year, six months after beginning treatments, he was in remission. His hair had grown back and we were talking about playing golf again. Unfortunately, two weeks later things unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and I never got the chance to really say my goodbyes.
If given the chance, I would have thanked my father for his greatest gift of all: teaching me to play golf when I was young and supporting my habit while I obtained an education. Through this wonderful game, my father instilled in me values that remain core to my personal ethos – respect, humility and integrity.
Always a talented athlete, Mort began playing golf in his mid-thirties and maintained a 20 handicap for the rest of his life. He had an uncanny ability to hit his 7 and 9 wood onto the green from almost anywhere. Since his Divine Nine wood brought him so much pleasure, I promised I would bury him with it. When the burial day came unexpectedly, I kept my promise and laid his trusty 9 wood next to him. We prayed that it would keep him safe and in good standing with the golf gods for all eternity.
In loving memory of my father and to help all the people who have been affected by cancer, we partnered with the LLS to host the 1st annual Divine 9 Open in 2004. The goal of the founders was and continues to be raising money to support research and help families who cannot afford the financial burdens of cancer. We are thrilled to have partnered with Bringing Hope Home the past two years and to get the unique chance to help families that need the help today.
Jeff Dittus,
Founding Chair
A Special Thanks to our 2013 Divine 9 Open Sponsors
See you next year!